Future Sins
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: A six part story that involves the pressures that result when a time traveler comes back in time and reveals that Match or Superboy will betray everyone around them. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 1

For the twelfth time that day, Conner wondered about the wisdom of agreeing to participate in the JLA's training exercise. He was still feeling very self-conscious about being controlled by Luthor and forced to fight the Titans and the Outsiders. He noticed that the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Batman were all acting rather cool towards him. He couldn't blame them. He hadn't felt like he could face the Titans yet.

The one saving grace of the exercise was that Max was here with him. He had been the one to encourage Conner to break his self-imposed exile to the Kent's farm. Max had been a calming influence these law few weeks. He hadn't treated him differently at all; he was trying to return Conner to normalcy. Conner appreciated that, even if he felt awkward about it.

Max was proving to be vexing in the exercise though. He often made choices that were efficient without discussing them. Also, since his recovery, his power levels had returned to equal Conner's. When combined with his more advanced mastery of his powers, Conner couldn't help but feel a little jealous at how easy Max made everything look.

They switched to individual exercises in the training room while the rest of the team observed from the control room. Conner was pretty satisfied with his performance even though he didn't do as well as the JLA did. It was only to be expected since he did not have as much experience as they did. Finally, it was Max's turn to go.

After he entered the training room, everything in the control room froze. There was also some kind of barrier trapping them in the room.

* * *

Match saw the commotion in the control room out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his attention on a forming distortion in front of him. He had a feeling that something dangerous was going to come out of it, and he wanted to be prepared. 

Despite all of his experience, he was surprised when a man stepped out of it wearing Superman's costume, only with the S-shield on a black background. The man looked very similar to Clark, but there were differences. Match listened to the man's heartbeat, and his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized it.

"Kon-El?" he asked.

"I'm Superman now," the man replied. "I'm from your future and have come back for a very important task."

"What is it? Does it have to do with the JLA being imprisoned? Is it an accidental discharge of your powers or whatever means you used to travel here? Did your journey through time injure you?"

The elder Kon-El gave Match a smile. "I've come back to kill you."

He unleashed his heat vision at Match.

* * *

"No!" Conner shouted. "We have to get out of here to help him!" 

"We're doing everything we can," Superman assured him. "J'onn, can you phase through this barrier?"

"I cannot," J'onn said. "There's something that prevents me from going through it."

"This barrier has to have a weakness," Wonder Woman stated. "We'll find a way through it."

* * *

Match managed to throw up a shield, but the blast still knocked him across the room. He found himself telekinetically anchored to the floor. 

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

The elder Kon-El advanced on him. "I'm doing this to prevent you from taking actions that will make my life a living hell."

His eyes narrowed as objects in the training room hurled themselves at him. He deflected them all, but doing so occupied enough of his attention so that Match was able to break free of the force that was keeping him on the floor.

"You can't be from the future of this timeline," Match said. "I'm your brother here."

"I know. You took down the Groups and were buried alive for weeks. I brought you liquid from a Lazarus Pit to heal you when your body was degenerating. I know what you are; I've lived it."

Match used his force eyebeams on the man. He shrugged them off.

"I'm glad that you're resisting. I want this to hurt."

He unleashed a burst of force that emanated in all directions. It threw Match up against the wall. As he struggled to get to his feet, he felt his shoulder being grabbed and wrenched out of its socket. He gritted his teeth to prevent from gasping out in pain.

"You can't beat me," the elder Kon-El said. "I'm more powerful than you and have more experience."

With his good arm, Match gave a vicious chop to the man's throat. This caused the older man to gag slightly and let go of Match's arm. Match snapped it back into place and ignored the pain. He let loose with a full telekinetic blast at the staggered man that pushed him back.

"I...I can't believe you did that," the future Superman rasped. "I'm not going to play around with you anymore!"

Match felt his telekinetic field be ripped away from him. He could tell that his opponent was doing this with a technique that Match didn't know. It was one that clearly took him a great deal of concentration.

"I'm going to rip you apart," the time-traveler promised.

* * *

Kon felt the barrier keeping the JLA and him in the control room weaken. He focused his power and ripped it apart. The exertion caused him to sink to his knees, but the JLA sprung into action. 

The elder Kon-El brought up a shield to deflect the Martian Manhunter's eyebeams. One of his arms was immobilized by one of Green Lantern's ring constructs. Wonder Woman tackled him to the floor.

"I can't believe that you're defending him!" the elder Kon-El shouted. "You don't know what he does!"

"Nothing justifies what you're trying to do," Kal-El said.

"You don't understand! I'm doing this because you could never look at me the same way after what he did to your wife!"

Kal-El was wide-eyed at this revelation, as were most of the JLA. The elder Kon-El took the opportunity to throw them off of him and slam them into walls.

"I'm going to end this now!" he shouted before gasping in shock.

Match stood there, glaring at him with sweat running down his face. "You shouldn't have showed me how to suppress your telekinetic field. Did you forget that if I see something I can usually figure out how to do it?"

"It's taking all your concentration and there's no one around to-" he began before Conner knocked him out with a slug across the face.

"We should restrain him here until we discover a way to send him back to his own time," Match said. "Can you give me a hand with him?"

Conner nodded and helped Max. As he was doing so, he couldn't help but notice that most of the JLA were giving Match looks.

---------

I hope this chapter is clear, as references to two different people with the names "Superman" and "Kon-El" might be confusing.

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 2

"Do you want to talk about it?" Conner asked as the two were lying in their beds.

"I don't see any reason to, but I think you want to," Max replied.

"Well...do you blame me for anything? I'd understand if you did. I am responsible for this...in a way."

"You're not responsible."

"But, it's me who attacked you...sort of."

"It wasn't you. It was a deranged man from the future. You are not responsible for the attack on me."

"But, I feel kind of guilty about it."

"You should stop feeling guilty. You are responsible for the actions that you have taken. If, several years in the future, you travel back in time to attempt to kill me, then you should feel guilty."

"Are you okay with what he said?"

"I'm not worried about it. I don't place much weight on the word of a man who tried to kill me."

* * *

"You've scanned his mind?" Batman asked. 

"It's difficult because he's unconscious and a powerful psionic," J'onn intoned. "But, I have scanned it to the best of my abilities."

"What did you find out?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Should we not wait until Kal-El is here?" J'onn asked. "He should know."

"He isn't aware that I asked you to do this," Batman stated. "His emotions are mixed when it comes to Match. If there's good news, we'll pass it on. If there's confirmation of the worst, then he won't believe it."

"I see," J'onn said, a slight hint of disapproval evident.

"He wants to believe the best of the boy," Wonder Woman said. "He won't listen to anything to the contrary."

There was a pause as J'onn considered this.

"What did you find from your mind scan?" Batman asked.

"He believes it's true," the Martian Manhunter said. "He didn't observe it directly, but he is convinced that Match did something to Lois in his past and our future that caused Superman to no longer trust him. I couldn't get any clear images, but he is absolutely convinced that Match did something to Superman's wife."

* * *

That weekend, Match was at the JLA Watchtower when he received unexpected visitors. Batman and Batgirl approached him at the workstation that he was monitoring. 

"I'd like to gauge your hand-to-hand combat expertise," Batman stated. "Spar with Batgirl in the training room."

Match looked at the Martian Manhunter and got his nod of approval. "I assume that I should not use my powers."

"Batgirl was able to penetrate Superboy's telekinetic shield."

"I construct mine in a different manner. It might not be so easily broken. I minimize the stress lines."

"I see. In that case, you shouldn't use your powers."

At the training room, Batgirl and Match stood on opposite sides of the room. They stared at each other.

"Shall we begin?" he asked, shifting to a combat stance.

"Yes," she replied, speaking to him for the first time.

The cautiously advanced, and Match took a probing shot. Batgirl avoided it and responded with a punch that Match barely blocked. He shifted to the offense and didn't connect with anything. Batgirl retaliated with a few hits that floored him. He quickly rolled back to his feet and ignored a tickling feeling in his head.

He shifted to defensive mode and blocked or dodged her punches and kicks while he analyzed the fight. He hadn't landed anything. She seemed to be dodging his attacks before he launched them. That meant she was predicting his moves. Match came up with three possibilities: she was telepathic; she was precognitive, or; she was reading his movements. He discarded the notion that she was telepathic because he hadn't felt the tickling in his mind before they engaged in combat. Combat precognitives were extraordinarily rare and the usual tactic was to overload them with options. Match settled on the likelihood that Batgirl was reading his movements.

He broke off combat with her and took a step back, consciously shifting his stance to be completely neutral. She paused a moment before charging him. He kept completely still and calm until the last possible moment when he dodged her blow and hit her in the stomach. He then turned to face her, reverting to that same calm posture. She charged again, anticipating another attack to the stomach, but was surprised when he landed a blow on her temple.

"How?" she asked.

Match stood there, unblinking, and said nothing.

"This exercise is over," Batman's voice came from the control room.

Match offered his hand. Batgirl shook it, wordlessly.

"Once I figured out that you were reading my movements, I had to control them to reveal nothing," he explained. "From there, I had to restrain myself to attacks that were faster than your reaction time. They're usually not very effective as anything other than opening moves."

"Clever," she said before walking off.

* * *

Match was in the locker room, getting read to take a shower. He gently touched a couple of the areas where Batgirl hit him. He was going to be sore for a few days. 

"I can hear you," he announced to the seemingly empty room. "You might as well show yourself."

J'onn materialized. "I wanted to make sure that you were alright. Batgirl is a formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat."

"I'm fine, thank you," Match said. "J'onn...I haven't said this, but I respect you not only for your achievements and talents, but as a person as well."

J'onn looked a little confused. "Where did that come from?"

"I feel that it's important to say that. There are others whose abilities and actions I respect, but, as a person, I do not like them. There are others whom I like, even though they have not earned my respect."

"Where are you going with this?"

"What I'm leading to is this: if you want to know something, just ask me. You don't need to read my mind."

"You sensed my mental probe," J'onn stated.

"I've been trained to detect telepathic intrusion," Match said. "I take it that this has something to do with the proclamations of the elder Kon-El?"

"Concerns were raised. It would be irresponsible and potentially dangerous to ignore them."

"I assume you scanned his mind to verify the truthfulness of his statements."

"I did. It was inconclusive. He believed his statement to be true, but had no direct knowledge of the event that I could see. His own psionic powers may have blocked me; the structure of his brain, as well as yours and Superboy's, is not easy to read."

"I wasn't aware of that. Have you considered that he's hardly an unbiased source of information? He did attempt to kill me."

"I have. We felt it was important to try to confirm."

"There are more than just you? I shouldn't be surprised. Who?"

"Batman and Wonder Woman came up with this plan. The Flash, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow also have concerns."

"Did your scan of me put those concerns to rest?"

"I saw you have a great deal of affection and respect for her, but you've acted ruthlessly in the past."

"I see," Match said, expressionlessly. "I'm going to clean up."

Match turned to take a shower without another word.

----------

Has Match reverted to being evil or will he revert in the future? Right now, I'm keeping it vague to heighten the tension.

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 3

"You're brooding over something," Conner told Max. "What is it?"

"I'm not brooding," Max replied. "I'm thinking about something."

"That's not really that different," Conner said. "What's on your mind?"

"When did you get so good at picking up on my moods? When did you become so good at reading me?"

"I'm not that good at it. It's because I've been around you a lot. You get to know someone after a while."

"Jonathan and Martha aren't as good as you are. They can't pick up on my moods as well as you can."

"I'm in contact with you more often. I see you all day at school as well as during the night. I've also been through stuff closer to what you have than they."

Max considered it for a moment. "That makes sense."

"Max, can you help with dinner?" Martha's voice came from down the stairs.

"I'm on my way," Max called out.

"Duty calls," he said as he left their room.

It was only after Max left that Conner realized Max had purposely changed topics to avoid saying what was on his mind.

* * *

At dinner, Conner was thinking about how he was going to get Max to talk about what was bothering him. Max was deliberately steering the topic of conversation as far from that as possible. In fact, he stooped to a tactic that Conner didn't think he'd ever use: he asked Martha and Jonathan about Clark when he was growing up. Like many proud parents, the two were only two happy to talk endlessly about their son. Conner knew some of these stories by heart already, and Max was encouraging them to be told for the umpteenth time. 

After extending the conversation about Clark for hours after dinner, Conner figured that Max would have no escape before they went to bed, but Max seemed to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Conner tried shaking him, but it looked like Max had entered some sort of trance. Conner was getting a bit frustrated at being stymied.

* * *

The next morning, Max could only evade Conner until Jonathan dropped them off for school. 

"What's going on, Max?" Conner asked. "You've been dodging me since yesterday afternoon."

"I'm not angry at you," Max assured him.

"What do you mean by that? I haven't done anything that would get you angry at me! Wait a minute...you're trying to divert my attention again, aren't you? Stop doing that and tell me what's going on!"

"It doesn't concern you," Max said. "It's better if you stay out of it."

"It's affecting you, and I want to help. If nothing else, I can provide a sympathetic ear or different view on things."

Max paused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Max took a quick look around to make sure no one was listening. "The JLA doesn't trust me because of what that guy said."

"Are you sure it's not your imagination?"

"J'onn probed my mind. He then confirmed that everyone was concerned about what was said."

"Even Clark?"

Max paused. "Clark wasn't sharing his concerns with the JLA, but...I think he's torn."

"Why's that?"

"I don't want to say. It might have been an incorrect conclusion from something earlier."

"Don't you think he'd be dropping by more often if he was concerned? He could always find an excuse."

"He could. I've seen that his flight patterns have been altered to come closer to Smallville without actually coming here, as if he wanted to be in position in case somebody shouted for help."

"Where'd you get those from?"

"It's in the JLA's files. I review them when I arrive on the weekend."

"Look, you're concerned, but I think they'll get over it. Weren't you the one who said that he was a very biased source?"

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Later that night, Jonathan told them, "I think you boys need to clean up your room. I heard something shifting around there and think something must have fallen over." 

Conner was a little annoyed at this request. The room was pretty tidy (mostly because Max was a neat freak). He didn't think that there were any piles that could fall over.

"I'll take a look at it now," Max said as he went up to the room.

Conner noticed a gleam in his eye. "I'll do the same."

When he got there, Max put his finger to his lips, indicating that Conner shouldn't say anything. He then started feeling around the bottom of what furniture they had. Conner watched this continue until Max picked something off of the bottom of one of Conner's desk drawers. It was something extraordinarily small, and it looked very discreet and hi-tech.

"This is an unacceptable security risk," Max said to the device before crushing it.

"What was that?" Conner asked.

"A listening device," Max replied as he checked their closet and light fixtures. "It was very well hidden."

"Who could have planted it?"

"There are a number of people who could have," Max said as he removed and crushed another device. "If you're asking for the most likely person, I have a candidate."

"Who?"

"Batman."

"Why'd he want to bug us?"

"You weren't the target. I was."

"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid?"

"I've just found two, make that three, spying devices," Max said as he found and crushed another one. "I would not call this paranoia."

"I...you're right. What are we going to do?"

"We're not going to do anything. He should know better than to try this again; I'll be performing regular anti-surveillance device sweeps. It will become obvious that continuing is futile and a waste of resources and time."

"I'm talking about the root problem."

"There's nothing we can do. This will have to resolve itself."

--------------

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 4

During the week, Max received a summons to the JLA Watchtower. He had instructions to keep his visit a secret from both Conner and Clark. He considered disobeying them, but decided that it would be pointless to anger whoever he was meeting.

He made an excuse and went to the Watchtower. He was mildly surprised to see Wonder Woman waiting for him. He had expected Batman.

"Is there something with which I can assist you?" he asked.

He silently steeled himself for her response. Wonder Woman disliked him for his past deceptions of Wonder Girl. He understood this and tried to avoid antagonizing her.

"I want you to leave," Wonder Woman ordered. "I want you to go and never come into contact with Superman or anyone associated with either him or his civilian identity."

"I don't see what that would accomplish."

She glared at him. "It means that if you come into contact with him, then he would be able to consider you an enemy without reservation."

"It is likely that if I do as you say, then he would consider that a betrayal."

"You're eventually going to betray him anyway, aren't you?"

"I have no reason to do so. He has shown me extraordinary kindness and –"

She interrupted him. "You're a monster. That's all the reason you need."

Match showed no change in his expression but internally recoiled at such a statement. It hurt him so much because it was his greatest fear that he was irredeemable. He stared coolly at her and waited for his hurt and anger to recede before responding.

"This conversation is over," he said, his voice raw, as he started to walk away.

Wonder Woman grabbed his shoulder. "Don't you walk away from me-"

She was cut off as her body was enveloped in a field that did not allow her to move or speak.

Match glared at her. "I have no interest in what you have to say. Your comments have used up whatever reserves of patience that I had, and I consider this topic to be closed. I will not break off all contact with Superman and his associates. I will not betray him. I don't care what you think, and I care even less about what some madman from the future claims."

Match strode off and released her after a few moments.

The Martian Manhunter was on monitor duty and sensed Match approaching. His thoughts were unguarded, and J'onn could tell that he was angry.

"I'm not going to be here this weekend," he told J'onn.

J'onn looked at him. "Do you think that's wise?"

"I don't care. The constant surveillance serves to do little but antagonize me. It's a waste of my time if you're not going to trust anything I do."

"Do you understand why we are concerned?"

"I do. It is logical. At this point in time, nothing can be confirmed. The things she said...they were indefensible. Do you agree with her?"

"I do not. I didn't think it was an approach to take. Her dislike of you overpowered her judgment."

* * *

Conner stared at Max. "What do you mean you're going with me to the Titans this weekend? That means that I'd be going to see them." 

Max gave him a smile. "I know you want to see them again. You've been down since entering your self-imposed exile. You don't have to do that any more."

"I...you're right. But, I don't think I deserve to see them again, not after what I did to them."

"Don't be foolish. Your actions were not your own. Even Superman gets controlled by a malicious external influence every now and then. You need to forgive yourself."

"I'm not sure I'm read for that."

"I think you are. I'll be there for you if you need any assistance. I don't think you will though."

Conner's eyes narrowed. "You're holding back something."

Max shrugged. "Yes, I am. It's not important though."

"If you want me to make a decision, then I want it to be based on all the facts. You'd insist on that, so I am too."

Max smiled ruefully. "I suppose I am rubbing off on you."

"You're not going to get out of telling me."

"I'm not going to the Watchtower this weekend. If you go to the Titans, which I really do think you're ready for, I can go with you and not be underfoot here."

"Why aren't you going to the Watchtower?"

"I had a difference of opinion with a member there. I don't wish to antagonize her any further."

"'Her?' Oh man, did you get into a fight with Wonder Woman?"

"Words were exchanged."

"Please tell me you didn't hit each other."

"We didn't. I did freeze her in position though."

"Do I want to know why you're getting into fights with Wonder Woman? Am I not doing a good job as your big brother?"

"I didn't start it. She said some insulting things."

Conner gave him a look. "It was about that thing, wasn't it?"

"Isn't everything these days?" Max said, smiling sadly.

"I'm taking you to the Titans this weekend," Conner announced. "You can use the trip to get away from all that."

* * *

It was an awkward reunion. Conner was still feeling guilty at having thrashed the team when under Luthor's control. Robin and Wonder Girl had clearly been told by their mentors to keep an eye on Max. Speedy was still new to everything, and Raven was unsettled by all the emotions in the room. Cyborg was trying to put everyone at ease, though Beast Boy and Kid Flash were doing a much better job of that with their usual banter. Hawk and Dove were also there; both were blissfully unaware of the history between everyone there. 

"So, you guys are twins, right?" Hawk asked.

Kon shook his head. "He's my clone. We're brothers though."

"Were you both created at the same time or what?" she asked.

"I was made first and Match was created later."

Hawk smiled at Match. "Cool! I'm not the only one with an overbearing older sibling."

Dove looked affronted at this.

"Superboy's not overbearing," Match said, his first words beyond introducing himself. "He may not think the same of me, though."

"Match likes to get his way," Superboy said. "He's normally sneaky about it. He likes making it seem like I came up with the idea to do what he wants to do."

"Why am I not surprised?" Wonder Girl muttered.

"Maybe we should have a practice session," Cyborg suggested. "It'll give everybody a change to let off some steam."

"How do we want to do it?" Beast Boy asked. "There are too many of us to go against the automated sessions. It'd be too easy."

"I was thinking we could train against each other," Cyborg replied. "It'll be more interesting that way."

Superboy blanched at the thought of fighting against the other Titans. "I think I'll sit this one out. I...don't think that'd be good for me."

"I'm sorry," Cyborg apologized. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Kon said with a weak smile. "I know you didn't mean anything."

"Hey, Match can be our opponent!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Everybody against one person doesn't seem fair," Dove said dubiously.

"He'll be fine," Robin said. "He's as powerful as Superboy."

Match shrugged. "If that's what you want."

* * *

Superboy looked out at the practice room from the control booth with a sense of unease. It was too similar to the last time that he watched Match training. Hopefully, no time-displaced versions of himself would appear and try to kill Match. He also observed that while Max was disinterested in actually fighting the Titans, there was an eager gleam in Robin's and Wonder Girl's eyes. He hated that his brother didn't get along with his best friend or girlfriend. 

Match stood on one end of the practice room while the Titans gathered on the other.

Superboy announced, "Okay, everybody remember that this is just a training session. I'm going to end it if people start getting too serious. Okay? Go!"

Cyborg unleashed a sonic burst at Match, but Match raised a series of thin barriers around him with the various panels from the training room and seemed unaffected.

Conner stared and remembered his physics class. "The baffler effect. I can't believe he did that."

Match retaliated by having items swirl around and pelt the Titans. They grazed Raven and Kid Flash across the temples, knocking them out.

Speedy shot an arrow at him, but Match caught it with his hands and he threw it back at the Titans. Unfortunately for them, it was an explosive arrow and caused them to scatter.

Wonder Girl threw her lasso to entangle Match, but it met a telekinetic barrier and fell to the floor. Match slammed his hands together, and a tremendous shockwave slammed her into the wall.

Cyborg aimed a sonic blast at Match since his bafflers were gone, but Match flew behind him and set off a sonic boom that not only overpowered Cyborg's blast but also disabled some of his audio circuits as well.

He parried Robin's kick and left him gasping for breath with a quick and forceful blow to the stomach.

Beast Boy charged in rhinoceros form, but Match struck a nerve cluster, temporarily paralyzing him.

Hawk and Dove tensed, ready to charge him from opposite sides, but Match turned away.

"I thought some exercise would make me feel better," he said. "It didn't. You win. I don't want to play any more."

"What do you mean 'you win?'" Hawk exclaimed. "You can't go and trash everybody like that and dismiss it all with a 'you win!'"

Dove placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hawk, leave him alone. He's got other things on his mind and probably shouldn't have participated in this exercise to begin with."

"If this is what he's like when he's distracted, I'd hate to see what he's like when he's focused! He read us perfectly!"

Match paused as he was leaving. "That's because you shouldn't be whispering your battle plans when your opponent has enhanced hearing."

* * *

Dove laughed as Match walked off. 

Match's defeating the Titans put them in a sour mood. He decided to stay out of their way to prevent himself from further antagonizing them.

Meanwhile, Conner was feeling a lot more comfortable around the Titans. There was still some awkwardness, but those moments were becoming rarer and rarer as time went on.

The Titans were surprised when the Flash came to visit. Kid Flash was expecting him to make some comment about them needing adult supervision, but he seemed to be there to just get to know them better.

"Superboy, are you okay?" the Flash asked. "There aren't any lingering effects of the mind control, are there?"

Kon shook his head. "I'm fine. J'onn checked, and there aren't any traces of that program left."

"Match, what about you?" the Flash asked. "There haven't been any signs of that happening to you, have there?"

Max looked up from the book he was reading. "The only thing that happens to me when I hear Lex Luthor's voice is that my bile rises."

The Flash blinked. "Why does he provoke such a strong reaction?"

"It's nothing he did to me, personally. However, he's done bad things to Superman, the Contessa, and my brother. Those are all people I care about. The man incites disgust in me."

"Who's the Contessa?" Hawk asked.

"She was the head of the Agenda, a secret organization that tried to conquer the world," Match replied. "They're also the ones who created me. I can't help caring for her, even if she only thought of me as a pawn."

"Wait, you were an evil clone?" Hawk asked.

Kon winced. "He didn't get a choice in the matter. Things have changed."

"Depending on who you ask," Match added.

"What do you mean?" Dove asked.

"I've fought some of the Titans before," he stated. "They haven't forgiven me, much less forgotten. Also, recent questions have been raised about my loyalties, which is why the Flash just happened to stop by. He's keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't do bad things."

"I did want to get to be on better terms with everyone too!" the Flash protested.

"Why have doubts surfaced?" Dove asked. "What happened?"

"It's something a future version of me said," replied Superboy. "This is before that version of me tried to kill Match, so I don't think it's reliable."

"Are all superhero teams this messed up?" Hawk asked. "It sounds like a soap opera!"

"They usually are," the Flash admitted.

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Any and all comments welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 5

Conner was getting worried. The strain of the constant surveillance and questioning was getting to Max. It didn't help that Clark was paying regular visits and pretending that nothing was different. Or, it might have been Clark's way of showing Max that nothing was different, but it didn't come off that way. Regardless, the topic was being avoided by everyone, and Max was internalizing a lot of feelings.

Max changed the subject whenever Conner tried to bring it up, and Clark was never around long enough to discuss it. Conner figured that something had to happen soon to break the tension.

* * *

It was a relatively quiet news day, so Lois got home early. Clark had to stay later since an emergency in the South China Sea took a great deal of his time. 

She was surprised at the delicious scents wafting from the kitchen when she entered the apartment.

"Hello, Lois," a familiar voice came from across the room. "I hope you don't mind me letting myself in."

She turned her head to see Max.

* * *

Clark's head jerked up sharply. He heard Max talking to Lois. He dashed out of the newsroom as quickly as possible to interpose himself between Max and Lois. 

"Max, what are you doing here?" he asked, his voice strained.

Max gave a disappointed sigh before answering. "Do you know that I've been watched and tested constantly for the past two weeks?"

"What does that have to do with why you're here?" Clark asked.

"Do either of you want to explain what's going on?" Lois demanded.

"This was a test," Max replied. "It wasn't a test for me this time; it was one for you."

Clark looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"You said you trusted me," Max said with a trace of sadness. "You've been telling yourself that you trust me. You don't trust me. It's better to realize that than to believe a lie that would destroy you."

"One of you is going to explain what's going on," Lois ordered.

"It's simple," Max said. "Two weeks ago, I was attacked by what appears to have been a future version of Conner. He told Clark that he never looked at either of us the same way after what I did to his wife."

"That's it? Why do people believe someone who attacked you?"

"The JLA has been watching or testing me constantly. Did you know that Batman even bugged the room I share with Conner?"

"Max, I-" Clark began.

"I'm sorry, but I think I've worn out my welcome," Max interrupted. "Please consider this meal an apology for breaking into your apartment. I only used ingredients that were about to expire."

"I understand," Lois said.

"Would you mind calling Conner to come get me?" Max asked. "I think it's best for me to have someone around."

Conner came to Metropolis and the two flew back. About halfway back to Smallville, Max suddenly broke off and landed in a field. Conner followed him.

"Are you okay?" Conner asked.

Max wrapped his arms around Conner and started crying on his shoulder. "I tried so hard!"

Conner awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"I tried as hard as I could and did everything that was asked of me! Am I that useless a person? Can't I do anything right?"

"You're not useless! You're-"

"I knew it was going to be a problem," Max interrupted. "When that future version of you told him, Clark's eyes flickered over to me. They were full of hate and loathing for a second. I wanted to believe that it wasn't true."

"Max, he's wrong to act this way. The JLA is wrong too. You haven't done anything wrong. You're a good person. I believe in you."

Max looked at Conner with tears in his eyes. "I'm trying to be good. I really am."

"I know. You are good."

Conner scooped Max up in his arms. "I'll fly us back. I don't think you should use your powers in your current state."

* * *

To say Max was downbeat was an understatement. He was listless and seemed to be sleepwalking through the day. That meant he was simply breezing through school, not pretending it was anything approaching a challenge. Conner briefly thought about having Max stay home, but he knew that neither Jonathan nor Martha would be able to handle him. 

Conner tried to pull Max out of his funk, but he couldn't think of anything that would make him less despondent. He cursed himself for this, since it was his future self that caused all of this.

He took Max with him to the Titans that weekend since he couldn't be left alone, and Conner didn't think staying in Smallville would help since there were too many things that brought Clark to mind.

Some of the Titans were aware that something had happened, but Conner warned them off from asking about it with pointed looks. The rest of them merely thought Max was uncomfortable around them or was feeling antisocial.

Max was seemingly in a quiet mood and was reading a book. Conner didn't trust that; he thought Max was going to break down at some point. Max internalized a lot more than was healthy.

Unfortunately, Conner was right. After a brief practice session, Conner returned to his room to find Max there with a blood-stained knife and blood coming out of his wrists.

"It doesn't hurt," Max said in an anguished voice. "Why can't I feel anything? I'd even take pain."

Conner slapped the knife out of his hands and seized a shirt and clamped it to Max's wrists, applying pressure to stop the flow of blood.

"You idiot!" he screamed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Conner's shouts brought the other Titans. The paused at the sight of a visibly despondent Match being nursed by Conner.

Robin took charge. "Let's get him to the med bay."

Once there, Max's wounds were treated and he was tranquilized and restrained to a table to make sure he didn't injure himself. Truthfully, it wouldn't stop him if he wanted to hurt himself, but it would delay him a little.

"Do you want to explain why Match was trying to kill himself?" Robin asked.

Conner visibly pulled himself together. It wouldn't do for him to break down as well.

"He wasn't," he answered. "He was trying to get himself to feel something, anything."

Cyborg looked skeptical. "He cut his wrists. I'd call that suicidal."

Conner shook his head. "If he were really serious about killing himself, he'd stop his own heart. He's already told me that's what he'd do."

Cassie looked sick. "He's already decided how he'd kill himself?"

"He...he thinks about these things. If he were captured and felt himself losing out to brainwashing, then he'd do it. He won't allow himself to be controlled again. He won't allow himself to fight me again."

"Why'd he do it then?" Robin asked. "Batman told me to keep an eye on him, but I don't think he meant that Match was likely to cut his wrists."

"Wonder Woman told me the same thing," Wonder Girl admitted.

"Why didn't the Flash tell me anything?" Bart wondered aloud.

Conner sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you. I didn't tell you before because it would have just got you anxious about Match, and he was touchy enough as it was."

"An older version of me from the future came to the present and tried to kill Match. The JLA fought him, and he revealed that Match...did something to one of their family members. He didn't say what it was, but the JLA has been more distrustful of Match since then and have been monitoring him. Match finally confronted Superman about it and found out that he didn't trust him either. Match...really respects Superman and his loss of faith in him really hurt."

"The loss of the rest of the JLA's trust didn't hurt him?" Robin asked incredulously.

"Batman doesn't trust anyone. Wonder Woman never liked him. Superman accepted him into his family. He's a lot more important to Match, and me, than the rest of the JLA."

"I never got the feeling that Match actually cared about anyone," Wonder Girl admitted.

"He makes no outward sign of his emotions," Raven said, speaking for the first time. "He guards them even from me, but they are there."

"Let's keep a watch on him for when he wakes up," Robin said. "I...wasn't very nice to him, but I didn't realize what he's been going through."

"I'm going to be here the entire time," Conner stated. "I'd appreciate any company."

* * *

Conner was lightly napping when Max woke. Max's first thought was to unleash a wave of force to free himself since he was tied down, but he remembered cutting his wrists. It was likely that it was because of that he was tied down, not because he was captured. 

"You're finally awake," a woman's voice said gently.

Max turned his head to see Dove. "I apologize for putting you through this trouble. My actions are inexcusable."

"Superboy explained what you've been going through," she replied. "It makes thins more understandable."

Conner woke up during this exchange. "Are you feeling better?"

"Not really," Max said candidly. "My emotional state is little changed from earlier."

"I'm only going to untie you if you promise not to do stupid stuff like you did earlier," Conner said.

"Since I'm your clone, does my cutting myself mean I have your blood on my hands?" Match asked with more than a touch of morbid humor.

"Stop saying stuff like that!" Conner said angrily. "I'm not letting you go until you're better."

"That was pretty poor taste," Dove added.

Max's expression changed to that of one thinking about something that just occurred to him. His eyes flickered back and forth as though he were reading something on a screen.

"Untie me," he ordered in a calm and confident tone that Conner hadn't heard from him since Max was attacked in the Watchtower.

Conner started to free Max. "What've you figured out?"

"Something about my assailant has been bothering me," Max said. "I've finally figured out what it is."

--------------

It should go without saying that since this is a work of fiction, people should not try anything portrayed in it. That holds especially for attempted suicide. In a world where someone can fly through the air and regulate his heartbeat and vital functions for weeks, it can be dismissed as something trivial. Not so in the real world.

However, Match has reached his emotional nadir, and he can only improve from here.

Canonically, the last appearance of Match was in the "Last Laugh" issue of Young Justice. He was a Joker-ized version of himself, babbling incoherently throughout the issue. He hasn't appeared since. Inertia is a character that hasn't appeared to do anything since the Impulse series. He might have appeared in a panel during the funeral of Captain Boomerang in the Flash, but he didn't do anything or speak. Both are fairly obscure characters.

Any and all comments welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Future Sins, chapter 6

The Martian Manhunter looked up from the monitor to see Superboy and Match enter the room.

"You're here already J'onn," Match said, sounding confident. "Excellent."

"What are you doing here?" J'onn asked.

"I'm here to question your captive," he explained.

"What are you planning on doing?"

Match turned to Superboy. "Kon, please take him to the practice room. You and J'onn should watch from the control booth."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Superboy asked.

"Yes."

Kon went to get the captive. He didn't know what his brother had planned, but he trusted that he knew what he was doing.

"Please wait in the control booth," Match instructed J'onn. "I believe you'll find it informative."

J'onn tried to probe Match's mind, but found strong mental shields blocking his way.

"Please, J'onn," he said. "I need you to keep your eyes and mind open for this."

"You're not going to mistreat the prisoner, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then, I will observe."

Match smiled briefly. "Thank you."

Kon dropped his older self off in the training room. He had to deal with his pleadings to help him kill Match. He felt sorry for this version of himself that was consumed with hatred.

Match entered the training room and gave the older clone a smile. "We have much to discuss."

* * *

Kon and J'onn watched from the control room. They were completely focused on the face-off between the two.

* * *

"I have nothing to say to you," the older clone spat. 

Match waved his hand. The restraints that blocked his assailant's powers fell off.

"I have questions for you," Match said. "You're welcome to try assaulting me while I ask them."

A blast of heat vision was blocked by a telekinetic shield.

"You say I did something to Superman's wife. What did I do?"

Match dodged a punch.

"What's his wife's name?"

Another punch was dodged.

"What color hair did she have?"

The older clone snarled and launched himself at Match who deftly stepped out of the way.

* * *

"What's he doing?" Kon asked. 

"He's drawing a complete blank," J'onn said, surprised. "He can't picture her."

Kon gave J'onn a sharp look. "Doesn't that mean..."

* * *

"Allow me to try some other questions. We were in a play together; which play was it and what roles did we play?" 

"That was years ago," the older man snarled. "You can't expect me to remember something so trivial."

"We have a perfect memory," Match reminded him. "It should be easy for you. What's your name?"

"I'm Kon-El."

"No, what's your other name? It's the one you go by at school. For that matter, what's my name?"

The older man bared his teeth then blinked in shock. "How did you stop that? I should have torn away your powers like I did before!"

"I was ready for it this time. Before, you fought me at the end of a long training exercise. Now, I'm fresh. My powers of concentration are greater than yours. But, I'm the one asking the questions here."

"Will you shut up?"

"What town did we live in? Who lives with us as our legal guardians? What are our school colors and mascot?"

"Shut up! I'm Kon-El! I am!"

Match looked sadly at him. "You're not. You're his clone, just like I am. If you were truly Kon-El, you'd know these things."

"My memories must be scrambled from the trip through time!"

J'onn phased into the room. "If they were, I'd detect something. They aren't there."

The more physically mature clone started crying and fell to his knees. "That can't be! I'm Kon-El! I have to be!"

Match put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You can be your own person. I'm here for you. So is Kon."

The imposter Kon-El looked up at Match with murderous rage in his eyes. "You! This is your fault!"

His hand shot up to grab Match's throat, but Match blocked it.

Match looked at him with pity. "We'll talk when you've had a chance to calm down."

The clone's eyes rolled, and he slumped to the floor.

Kon came into the room. "You manipulated his pressure points? You've got to teach me how to do that."

"When you're ready. Let's put him back in his restraints. I hope that he'll be more reasonable when he wakes."

"I suppose this just leaves the question of who created him," Kon said. "Who's got a genetic sample and would do this?"

"I have a leading candidate," Match said.

* * *

Match was the very picture of serenity as he waited for the prisoner to be brought out to meet him. He smiled a polite greeting when the prisoner was seated across from him with security glass between them. He was grateful for the security glass because otherwise he might reach out to wring the man's neck. The man was wary but hid it behind an insouciant smirk on his lips. 

"To what do I owe the please of this meeting?" asked Dabney Donovan.

"I owe you my thanks for your efforts in saving my life," Match replied. "I've been remiss in not coming to thank you in person."

Dabney relaxed fractionally. "Oh, well you know that I'm always glad to help. If there's anything else I can do to get out of here quicker-"

"You could explain why you made a clone that tried to kill me."

Dabney tightened a bit before relaxing again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The post-Imperiex War costume was a nice touch," Match continued as if the other man hadn't spoken. "It made it look like he really had something to mourn. What I don't understand is why he was babbling about Superman's wife. I'm not sure where that came from."

"There were pictures of Superman wearing a wedding ring. They claimed it was a JLA signal device, but I didn't buy that."

"Ah," Match said, nodding in comprehension. "Unfortunately, it really is a signal device. This did lead to speculation that I would do something to Superman's to-be-determined-in-the-future wife. There was talk about Wonder Woman, Power Girl, or even Supergirl. I'm not familiar with Kryptonian mating traditions."

"It was worth a gamble."

"Out of curiosity, why me? Have I done something to earn your wrath? If so, I must apologize since I cannot think of anything I've done."

"You're nothing special," Dabney sneered. "You're just a clone. You're not even an original piece of genetic engineering like Superboy. People shouldn't have gotten worked up over you."

"I see. I offended your aesthetic sensibilities. You do realize that you're going to stay in jail for longer."

"It's just your word against mine. One convict's against another."

Match had a small, polite smile on his face as he pulled out a tape recorder from his pocket. He stopped it.

"That, that was obtained illegally! It'll be thrown out!"

Match kept the smile on his face. "You were told that your conversation with me may be monitored or recorded. That's standard procedure here."

"You tricked me!"

"There is still one unanswered question. You must have had help to create this clone while incarcerated. The same person must have teleported him to the Watchtower. Who was it?"

"Go screw yourself!"

"I'll find the one you assisted. That's a promise."

Match got up and walked away without a backwards glance.

* * *

The recorded conversation was turned over to the JLA. Combined with J'onn's mindscan of the more physically developed clone, the JLA's fears were quieted. 

"Match, everybody here owes you an apology," Superman said.

"Superboy does not," Match corrected him in a calm, clinical tone. "He never doubted me."

"They're trying to apologize," Kon hissed at him.

"What are you going to do with the false time-traveler?" Match asked.

"We don't know yet," Superman admitted. "We might have to keep him in custody if he doesn't acknowledge the truth. J'onn says that events could have shattered his mind."

"That's a pity," Match said, genuinely sad at the possible fate of his assailant. "I had hoped that he would have acknowledged reality."

"You just wanted a little brother," Kon teased.

"I hope we can put these events behind us," Superman said.

"It's not that easy," Match said.

"Match-" Wonder Woman began.

"Let him speak," said Batman, cutting her off.

"Thank you," Match said. "Everybody, with the exception of Kon-El, thought that I was going to harm or kill Superman's wife. You didn't trust me. That's understandable because of my past deeds, but I thought it would take more than that for you to put me under so much scrutiny. As a result of that, my faith in you has been shaken."

"You're questioning us?" Wonder Woman said with a hint of anger.

"I question your judgment."

"We'll try to earn back your faith," J'onn said. "The recent events will require effort on our part to overcome. You did not deserve the scrutiny that we put you under. I apologize for my part in it."

"Thank you," Match said. "I believe we need to be going now. We have school tomorrow."

* * *

In their bedroom, Conner said, "I almost had a heart attack when you went after the JLA like that. I don't think I could have done that." 

"I was a little scared when I did it," Max admitted.

"Are you really okay?"

"Physically, I'm fine."

"So, you're not."

Max smiled. "You know me far too well. I'm still hurt by the suspicion others felt. Logically, I can see reasons for it, but I'm still hurt."

"You're going to do something, aren't you?"

"After the school year finishes, I may take a little vacation from everything."

"I'll be here when you get back."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

--------

Future Sins was a little difficult for me to write. I had the concept in mind, but it was very difficult to find a satisfactory ending. As such, the initial ending was considerably different. I decided it was not one that I could use and had to edit the rest of the story to conform with the one I chose. I apologize for misleading everyone who read this story.

Any and all comments welcome!


End file.
